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Referee
Referee Overview The referee is the game manager, presenting a scenario to the players. They'll consider their options then select a course of action and the referee acts as an impartial judge as to whether their attempt is successful or not. The referee will utilize the Speculation system mechanics. The scenario is presented here, with a suggested primary situation to challenge players – as well as guidance on what typical first-steps would be. Running a Scenario The role of the players is fairly cut and dried: they will play CERT members activated and deployed in the disaster. While there are number of stages that can (and should) be played through, their Point-of-View always remains consistent: they are essentially playing themselves in a table-top exercise. The role of the referee, however, is more varied. At the very least, the ref is the arbiter of the decisions the players make. This is where the "system mechanics" are utilized. For instance: the player mentions their character performs a "hot lap" around a structure, assessing conditions and looking for hazards. The ref will determine if they see everything that they're looking for, and shares the details of what they do see so the player can make a decision of what to do next. Part of the performance of the player is dependent on the skill of the character, part relies on the knowledge and experience of the player... and part of it is dumb luck. The ref will play the role of the "Non-player Characters": other volunteers (not in the team), victims, passers-by, people in the chain-of-command (likely a firefighter that deploys them), and the communications officer that remains in regular radio contact while they're in the field. Finally, while this exercise can be for training run-throughs, it can also be used as discussion-based evaluations. Notice the form over that heavily damaged house in the picture above: that's a page from a CERT team Search and Rescue evaluation. In addition to objective arbiter, an experienced, CERT-trained ref can act as an evaluator for the team. Many Hats While a CERT-experienced ref can wear multiple hats for a session, if this going to be a training or evaluation exercise, it's recommended that separate people take individual roles. Let the ref actually run the game – they'll be the facilitator (for those used to tabletop exercises) – while a separate Subject Matter Expert (SME) sits in and listens as the narrative unfolds. Reffing a session is already a complex job. They have to set the scene and build the reality for the players. Having an SME as an assessment proctor keeps the ref objective, and helps prevent "leading" the participants. The Scenario At 10:17 am, on a weekday morning, the earthquake strikes. The epicenter is just north of the Salton Sea, well inland in California, but it is directly on the legendary San Andreas fault. This is the "Big One" that people have been dreading – and starting to think would never come. Fault movement works its way well up the fault line from the initial epicenter, dragging and shaking the earth around it. This includes wave propagation that travels down the San Gabriel Valley and into the Los Angeles basin. Burbank isn't even close to the worst of the shaking, but portions of the city on loose soil will shake like it was built on jello for 45 seconds or more. That will be more than enough movement to cause massive damage. With movement so widespread, outside disaster relief will potentially take days to arrive as bridges, highways and runways are all too damaged to be passable or usable. The Role of the Players We'll set the scene for the players, then walk them through the expected ("normal") sequence for an activation under these circumstances. * Click here to set up the scene for the players... Category:Referee